Finia started wiping my juice-smeared face with the handkerchief she had just bought. Bill didn't pay any attention to me and just moved on to appraising the second item. That was very merchant-like of him. He probably couldn't see anything around him when items that could become profit were lined up before his eyes.
"This item can create illusions near the wearer it seems... Oh dear, what happened?"
"Nothing..."
"Lady Nicole choked on the drink a bit is all."
"Ahaha, this juice is quite thick, after all! It could get stuck in the throat when you aren't used to it."
He lightly commented and then pointed at the ring.
"This one can create any kind of illusion around the user by pouring Magic power into it. Perhaps it was used for hiding oneself."
I see, those guys prepared items to steal the Queen Blossom seeds. If it came down to fighting with them, they prepared a scroll to set fire, a dagger to cut their tough barks, and a ring to fool their surveillance.
"But... This is an extremely valuable item. This ring could go for at least a platinum coin."
"A platinum coin?!"
One platinum coin was equal to a hundred gold coins. One gold coin to a hundred silver coins. If you considered that our relatively expensive inn for tourists took 5 silvers per night, you could imagine just how big that amount was.
"This dagger would also go for at least 50 gold coins."
"F-Fifty gold..."
It was an amount that a proper family could live on for a year. Finia was astonished after hearing of their value. It seems that she didn't think that the items I brought along (or so I was passing them off) were such valuable items.
But even my Katana could go for at least 20 gold coins were I to sell it. Considering that, it wasn't so surprising... Actually, yeah, it was.
"What do you say, Ms. Nicole? Would you sell these items to me? I realize it isn't fair to propose this to a young lady like you, but please do consider it."
Bill proposed an idea with a serious expression. For him, this was a get rich quick scheme that suddenly fell on him. It was natural for him to jump at the chance. However, I couldn't hand these over. Both due to my excuse and how useful they were.
Considering how powerless I was, this dagger was like a dream come true, and the illusion item had many ways of use, too. Not to mention, I claimed that I "took these from Lyell and Maria's mansion", so it would come off as disreputable if I arbitrary sold them off.
"I'm sorry, but these belong to my daddy... I can't sell them."
"Is that... so. It makes sense now that I think about it. There's no way a child would... No, that was rude of me."
"No, there's nothing wrong with your assumption."
Normally, that is. Unfortunately for him, I wasn't normal. Still, those guys sure brought some extreme items. Where was the need to steal? They could've just sold these off. Or could it be that there's some other mastermind behind all this...?
"Then, would it be possible to negotiate with your father?"
"That would be quite hard. Daddy isn't here."
"Lady Nicole's father lives in a deserted village of the United Three Kingdoms. For him to come here would be... Wait...?"
I could understand why Finia looked so lost. Usually, such a distance would've made business not worth it. However, Lyell and Maria popped up in Raum almost every day.
What troublesome Heroes they were. If they somehow come face to face with Bill, my lie would totally get busted.
"A-Anyway, I understood how they work. If there's nothing else, I shall take my leave."
"Lady Nicole, are you sure? There's still some juice left."
"Yeah, I'm full."
I wanted to evacuate from here before things turned bad. He could hardly realize my true character, but if Finia ended up leaking that Lyell showed his face almost every night, my lie would most definitely come to light.
And when they started questioning "How I managed to obtain it", it would be easy for them to arrive at the answer. After all, they already knew that Reid had reincarnated.
"In that case, please transfer the rest to a flask and take it with you. It's delicious even when you mix it with alcohol."
Bill took out a traveling water pouch and moved the juice into it. I suppose this could serve as a good souvenir for Michelle and Cortina. As expected of a merchant, he was attentive to details.
"Thank you."
"No no, thank you for giving me an opportunity to see such rare items. It seems there's still quite a bit of hidden treasure in Raum."
"It's a place with high activity of Adventurers, so things like that show up a lot."
"You are quite right! You truly are a clever young lady."
Adventurers didn't just bring monster materials with them. They also had many rare items that they either succeeded or discovered in the ruins. Of course, not all of them were quite as valuable, but some of them could make your eyes go wide just like these. Bill caught on to that. Perhaps he would start negotiating with many Adventurers from now on.
After exchanging a firm handshake, me and Finia returned back to our inn. We got souvenirs and I managed to get the items appraised. The day had gone very well.
This dagger would raise my battle power even higher, and the illusion Magic of the ring would make it easier to hide my face from now on. I could finally move on from my plain disguise, so I was very grateful for it.
I walked the night road back while almost breaking into hops due to my good mood. Finia followed along with an unusually light pace. That's right, I had to properly thank her. If she hadn't paid in my stead, I wouldn't have been able to get these appraised.
"Right. Finia, thanks for that money. I will definitely pay it back later."
"You don't have to mind it. I have nothing to spend it on, anyway."
"Even so, you need to have it."
It's something that could even influence the relationships depending on the situation. It wasn't something you could just write off.
If you borrow, pay it back without fail. That has been my belief since my previous life. Be it money, resentment or debt, I made sure to repay it all.
"Don't worry, I make money from hunting, so I should have enough to pay you back once we're back."
"Is that really alright?"
"Of course I am, it belongs to you, after all."
She was an elf. Her lifespan was incredibly long. Even if she didn't need it now, it would allow her to go on even after Maria and Lyell and I die. Elves tended to carefreely live in the moment... But it would be wise to let her learn the notion of savings, the sooner the better.
